Label(s): Self Released / React With Protest / I've Come For Your Children / Nimbus Module RecordsThis post's artist is from the October 2015 Mix. This is track #11.

You can download: the October Mix#10 right hereor get the new November 2015 Mix#11 here.

AM I DEAD YET? were a screamy hardcore/emo-violence band from Belgium that were only around for about a year but quickly released some excellent releases and then vanished forever. I've never heard people discuss them so now seems like a good time to slap you in the face with it. If you dig screamo/emo-violence from Europe circa 2005 such as as Arse Moreira, The Third Memory and Killed By Malaise. If you've never heard of these older bands you could compare them to newer stuff like early Loma Prieta, мища and Coma Regalia. There's some dirt and abrasiveness to the recordings which give them a labour of love kind of sound, but it's the power and raw emotion that lead my pack of adjectives to describe their sound. Much like June Paik it's unrelenting, even during the slight slowdowns.

"Distance and Saxophone" is my personal favourite, with a very chaotic yet driven beginning that lends itself to bands like Loma Prieta. But it's that final half which sounds like the complete inspiration for bands such as Deers! and A Company Of Heroes as it breaks down to a slow, jammy screamfest with those sexy, clean guitars and groovin' bassline. "Resurrectionist" is another gem that hits the sweet spot at 1:50 and could definitely be likened to the new Russian band Маяк. Both of the songs just mentioned are from my first encounter with the band which was released posthumously in 2007 on a split 7" with Danse Macabre. I probably heard their songs on the Emo Armageddon and Emo Apocalypse compilations but their later stuff definitely stands out more.

This band is totally worth your time. I don't have the 'Summer Dead Demo' and 'Utarid split' floppy disks so if anyone has them please share!

Tuesday, 27 October 2015

Years of searching for a local punk/hardcore/screamo/emoviolence/whatever band to join or start finally culminated in the first show that THE WORLD THAT SUMMER played on Thursday October 22nd, the band for which I scream. We play a strange concoction of punk, screamo, metallic hardcore and post-hardcore that I know is influenced by bands such as Amber, Loma Prieta, Via Fondo, Old Soul, Young Mountain, Circle Takes The Square and La Quiete. I think a less heavy but faster version of Amber is most apt, but when Jesse sings I definitely hear more of an early Alexisonfire vibe. We were insanely lucky to be asked to play a local show with KEN MODE and LIFE IN VACUUM to which I responded with, "holy shit". We were asked to find another band to hop on the show so I contacted my good friends in WORST GIFT and voila, a stupidly good first show. So below is our closer called "The Standard Gravity of Impending Doom" and the entire rest of our set is linked here.

WORST GIFT

I've reviewed WORST GIFT a bunch of times from their live shows but I'm still bummed I missed recording a song (I kept waiting for the next one and then...poof, they were done) especially because they played a new and unreleased song which was as good as my favourite song "Immoral Inventory" which I've decided to link instead from a show earlier this year. Their 12"EP should be dropping in December on Zegema Beach Records.

LIFE IN VACUUM

I found out that my good buds in LIV were playing a new song from an upcoming split. I recorded said song. It's awesome. It really takes a step into robotic territory with the grinding, machinist effect on the guitars. The song is of yet untitled (I think) and is linked below. Grab their split with Joliette now because that shit is ridiculous.

GARRETT JAMIESON

I didn't get a video, but I caught about 15 minutes of Garrett Jamieson's comedy set and was impressed. His ability to weave a story and distract drunk men away from potential fights were definitely memorable. Be sure to check him out.

KEN MODE

KEN MODE came in from Winnipeg to kick our collective ass. The snarling sounds of their new record 'Success' were recreated live with additional visceral intensity, and a few songs from past albums, including "The Terror Pulse" and "Romeo Must Die". Definitely check them out. This is the video for "These Tight Jeans" and it was spot-fucking-on.

You can download: the October Mix#10 right hereor get the new November 2015 Mix#11 here.

JR EWING, for the better part of their career, were a sweaty mix of The Blood Brothers sass and Kaospilot heaviness. The European driven sound was straight outta Norway during their prime from 2000-2002 that shifted with the release of 'Ride Paranoia' and deviated further when 'Maelstrom' dropped in 2005. The former sound was heavier and rooted in Orchid and Refused (with the very early stuff being reminiscent of sludgy, metallic hardcore like Iscariote), while the latter shifted towards post-hardcore and accessible rock that I truly don't believe was fitting for the band. The vocals in particular were stronger on previous releases with screaming or talking, and the singing isn't hashed out enough to make a positive impact, so instead they detract from the experience making the final JR EWING album released a dud and probably not worth your time. But those early albums, 'Calling in Dead', 'The Perfect Drama' and 'Ride Paranoia', hoooo boy, they are 100% in need of your ears.

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DISCOGRAPHYClick )==>here<==( to download part of the band's discography in mp3 form (available for download are highlighted in black.

You can download: the October Mix#10 right hereor get the new November 2015 Mix#11 here.

GLASIR is a band from Dallas that started releasing online EPs in 2014 and recently released the 'Unborn' EP in 2015. By no means are the three songs groundbreaking, but fans of atmospheric instru-metal fans should take a gander because the band knows what they want to do and they do it very well.

"Precipice" is a decent opener but also the weakest of the three songs on the 'Unborn' EP. It weaves a dreamy web of isolated notes that tangle and sway together in the song's atmospheric breeze. This track sounds much akin to bands like Black Clouds and Ornaments. "Until We Dissolve" rises and falls like the tides of the ocean, slow but always building until the sounds crash forth like pounding waves. "Into the Void" utilizes some cool drumming during the mid-section slowdown, and the song as well as the new EP itself reminds me a lot of Mono and Tomydeepestego.

The demo and first EP titled 'Sickening Joy' are pretty much the same but with slightly different recordings and quality, so I didn't include a song off the 'Demo' below. Regardless I'd say 'Sickening Joy' is worth a listen, especially "Lucid", the EP's opener.

You can download: the October Mix#10 right hereor get the new November 2015 Mix#11 here.

Insanely screamy powerviolence/screamy hardcore from the boys in Neil Perry, Welcome The Plague Year and the like. The related acts section is pretty deep, but I've got to say that considering all of the Level Plane screamy hardcore bands that the interchangeable players hopped on and off like a merry-go-round, this was probably the weakest. That being said, it's still really good, it's just not exceptional like the bands Neil Perry, Welcome The Plague Year, The Now, Hot Cross, Joshua Fit For Battle, Saetia, Off Minor, You & I, etc. so you'll never hear me gush about this band, There isn't a lot of variety. It is very straightforward. Now, the strongest and most memorable song is the opener, "Inside the 8lb. Dorm Fire" that goes Makara/Ruhaeda right off the bat with feedback and then an onslaught of grating and rapid fire sections which culminate and go ballistic at 1:31 with one hell of a breakdown. The music itself is not really screamo, it's volatile noise/thrash, heavy and lacks restraint, which leads to the songs being a violent and angry mess. The vocals are washed over with fire and heat, as it sounds like the mic is melting from the fiery breathe of the vocalist and could be likened to earlier Mara'akate material as well as The Now. At least check out the first song posted below, especially that breakdown.

You can download: the October Mix#10 right hereor get the new November 2015 Mix#11 here.

AUDIENCE OF ONE was Anthony Green's high school band. I thoroughly enjoy about half of the man's catalogue. Buuuuut, I feel like a bit of prick here, AUDIENCE OF ONE wasn't that great. In fact, they were mediocre at best. I heard one song on Interpunk well over a decade ago and picked up the album assuming it would all sound like "The Icarus Ambition", which is fucking amazing, but the rest of it was pretty much a different genre of music. A few years later I stumbled across the four song EP (I don't even know the proper name for the release) and checked it out but still wasn't impressed. So I'll just say a thing or two about "The Icarus Ambition". It sounds like Saosin (there's even a song on this cd called "Saosin") with all screaming and no fancy nu-metal/punk riffs. It's basically a true screamo song by Anthony Green. It's fucking awesome. Okay...I'm done here.

P.S. I just relistened to both releases and the following song is good: "La Muchila"P.S.S. The following songs are okay: "Show Your Teeth", "Ishmael", "I Remember When This All Meant Something", "Flower, Fist, and Bestial Wail" and "Saosin".

You can download: the October Mix#10 right hereor get the new November 2015 Mix#11 here.

Because Lars from the React With Protest label (and a bunch of unreal German bands) is such an amazing person, as well as his new band SALIGIA only has two songs on a single split 7", I figured that I'd review the Amygdala side of the split as well.

Firstly, SALIGIA is an emo-violence/screamo band from Germany that plays frantic and pummeling hardcore in the vein of Lars' associated acts, such as Republic Of Dreams and The Apoplexy Twist Orchestra. "No Halo, No Crown" is lightning fast during its 2:22 tenure, but does manage to quickly dip into a soft screamo-esque interlude at 1:25 before laying waste to your ears once again. "Phoenix" begins with the towering intro for almost 20 seconds before obliterating the speakers with breakneck drums and intensely fast guitar strumming. Both songs include audio clips about mass consumerism that help lead out track one and introduce track two. A truly striking introduction to SALIGIA that will surely resonate with any emo-violence fan.

Next up on the split is San Antonio Texas' own Amygdala, born but a year ago. I've already reviewed their demo 7" which showed an insane amount of promise here, and on this release they've really hashed out their sound and have a more complete recording that is much more balanced. The screaming on this release is top notch, as Bianca's ultra screamy vocals are mixed perfectly with the spastic yet contained instrumentals. Think Welcome The Plague Year with shorter songs, less jammy interludes and a generally angrier vibe. "You Can't Handle the Truth" is a blast of crust, hardcore, thrash and emo-violence while "Floricanto" is Amygdala's best song to date. The latter harnesses the sheer anger and violence to a deadly degree and sets it loose on the listener for the entirety of its 3:08 length, straddling both chaos and melody within the despair. A seriously killer track.

A really cool thing about this split is that it is a co-release between the bands and their own respective labels. Also, be on the lookout for a 'Saligia 10"' which should be released in spring/summer of 2016. Get fucking pumped.

You can download: the October Mix#10 right hereor get the new November 2015 Mix#11 here.

MAJORITY RULE were extremely influential for a lot of the screamier hardcore bands, especially those tucked inside Virginia, aka Swan Of Tuonela, Caust and Truman. Around for almost a decade with a plethora of releases, this band created massive and enthralling post-hardcore/black-metal/screamo that injected many other genres into the mix. The amalgamation of a variety of styles shouldn't necessarily work together, but holy moly they sure do. Shit gets really heavy but always manages to beautifully tie in some softer, jammy instrumentals. The crazy thick vocals go back and forth with upper and lower register bat screams. I wouldn't be surprised if their influences also spanned the grind spectrum, but if so only remnants cross over to their work. Overall the best things to say would be progressive, ahead of their time and it was absolutely mindblowing to find out that all of this massive noise was created by a 3-piece.

The band's earlier work, that I would say concludes in 1999, varied from pretty decent to pretty weak. The very early stuff sounds like straight-edge hardcore from the late 80s. Once 1998 hit the 'Turbine split 7"EP' dropped and they (for the most part) shed the straight up hardcore, but traces can still be found in "Great Concern". The threshold from one era to the next was the transition from 1999's 'Majority Rule 7"EP' and the 2000 releases of 'The Blackout Terror split 7"EP' and the 'Demo CDEP'. In particular, songs such as "Untitled" (which sounds just like Tyranny Of Shaw) and the ridiculous "At 3am" are leaps and bounds ahead of the stuff they were writing for the self titled 7" and before. The masterful use of atmospherics to drive the the latter song into oblivion is uncanny, with the climax at 3:15 uprooting and tossing aside any questions I may have had regarding the band's sound.

Once 2001 hit it was an entirely different ballgame, with the band blossoming and expanding their sound while knowing their limitations, strengths and weaknesses. Never was this more apparent than the genre shattering 'Interviews with David Frost' full length. The thick, building intensity of songs such as "The Sin in Grey", "The Progress of Elimination" and the aforementioned "At 3am" are rivaled only by the eerie atmospherics that would connect the chaos, generally abruptly changing their dynamics on a dime. If you check out anything make it this bad boy. Whoooooweeeee!

2002's 'Emergency Numbers' EP is a not the band's best outing, but the material is still very solid. The instrumental "Are Forever" is breathtaking in its simplicity and effectiveness at sounding like Russian Circles, Pelican and any other prog rock, post-rock, post-hardcore, post-metal - whichever you want. After 1:32 intro "49 Words" gets started and drives that screaming into you like a hammer and nails. The breakdown at 2:40 is fucking ridiculous and easily the best moment here. The release also houses the lengthy and epic "Too Late" which is slower jam but doesn't let go of the heaviness nor the screaming.

Associated not only by sound but also by releases, MAJORITY RULE had a split with the insanely influential and highly regarded PG.99. These four songs are among the band's best and have a bit of a dancier vibe but maintain that shroud of darkness and despair. "Not in My Name" is an excellent example that gets heavier and heavier until the end when the gang screaming and instrumentals are shredded. "My Version of Paris" is another stellar song with back and forth screaming paired with massive riffs and breakdowns.

I well I guess that's it. I thoroughly enjoyed re-listening to the majority (ha) band's output. Definitely check them out. I have posted pretty much the entire discography but happen to be missing one song from the 'Positive State split' ("Untitled") and the debut 'Half the Battle' LP. Should you have them please post them so everyone can enjoy the full discography <3

You can download: the October Mix#10 right hereor get the new November 2015 Mix#11 here.

CLOUDS were a goddamn super group. Just look at a couple of those related bands: Cave In, Kid Killowatt, Zozobra, Converge, United Nations, The Hope Conspiracy, Doomriders and Mutoid Man. Holy fuck. CLOUDS released music between 2007 and 2011 with, in my opinion, declining success. Explain? Okay.

'The Legendary Demo' is just that, bloody legendary. The album races through awesome riffery and smokey singing that is generally very reminiscent of bands such as Tricky Woo, Maximum R'n'R,Mutoid Man and Boris' rock-era material. The licks are definitely the best part about this record, but the vocals are a close second that waver between hoarse yells and melodic croons. Standouts include "Pressure", "New Amnesia" and "Guardian's Eyes".

'We Are Above You' is a pretty good album. The style is still pretty similar to the earlier work but maturity and craftsmanship take hold thus releasing some of the intensity and chaos. It does house "Feed the Horse" which is a banger, but even that track doesn't come close to the three medal winners from the first LP. The transition becomes apparent that the speedy, mathy riff-fest is on its way out and sludgier, thicker songs were on the horizon. It's worth checking out if you dig the band, but it's a sequel and comes across like the movie variety, good but not as good as the original.

The final release was one I just couldn't get into. 'B Chuggas May Be Logging' four songs are all passable in my opinion. The fire seems pretty much extinguished, but all this is subjective. The earlier work just tickles my music bone and this doesn't. I've included all the albums for download, but the band's bandcamp has the files available for $4-$7 for each album, should you wish to support them. I'm pretty sure they have disbanded.

You can download: the October Mix#10 right hereor get the new November 2015 Mix#11 here.

ACABAH ROT is a band I just randomly came across about 10 years ago. I don't even know why I bought it...I think it was because I assumed Tidal was great but they didn't end up impressing nearly as much as this German band that released these two songs and then called it a day. ACABAH ROT played lower intensity, light, loose and playful European screamo that was never quite musically honed enough for my personal taste, but the promise was undeniable.

"Weltim Kopf" starts off the 12"EP and although it may be the weaker of the two songs it still packs a punch at points, like the beginning that is rather reminiscent of Fall Of Troy...except that it came out before they could have been influenced by such a band. The song also screams of Yage and Daitro which isn't surprising considering the band's location and period in time. The ending is interesting in a weird and surprisingly catchy kind of way as it uses a recording of a guy singing some repetitious thing unaccompanied by music and saying, "Glim glim, glim bim bim. Bom bam bim, bam bah bim,.." and so on. Strange. "Erkenntnis" is then, by default, my favourite of the two songs. It begins with dreamy guitars and spoken word before getting dancey/screamy much in the vein of Mr. Willis Of Ohio. The song employs multiple screamers and at 3:58 all three are layered simultaneously over the climax with epic results.

I just noticed that ACABAH ROT put up a bandcamp in 2014 with the entire 12" for free download so I'd recommend going here for that as you'll get the Tidal songs too.

HERESIE is the new band from members of Nous Étions, Carcajou and Ekadashi from Montreal in Quebec, Canada. The band has been gracious enough to let me premiere a new song for you here at (((((OPENmind/SATURATEDbrain))))). The song is called "Minable" and can be found embedded below. Here is my review of the band's 6-song EP that will be released soon on GSB and Desordre Ordonne. HERESIE is also looking to release this on vinyl, so if you know of any labels please let them know by emailing the band though bandcamp here.

"Comme du Pigeon" starts off like a Daitro song so score one right away for HERESIE. The pretty instrumentals lead way to the dark, raspy screams before hitting the chorus of Pastel/(new) Raein-esque group vocals. The next track is called "Triste Personnage" and is a nice, driving, building song that climaxes without any thickness or chugs, but is captivating nonetheless. The song being premiered today is "Minable" which you can stream on the right. It is the shortest of all the songs, clocking in at 1:55 and employs numerous vocalists exchanging screams over clean and pretty, European screamo guitars. This also happens to be my favourite song by the band. "Trahir Ceux Qu'on Aime" starts as a slow jam before racing onward with rolling drums and an obvious sense of urgency. Track five's "Angoisses Dues aux Concepts du Temps, de la Maladie et de la Mort" is a lengthy title as well as the longest song (3:17) and combines all the elements the band seems to be aiming for - clean, driving guitars with excellent interplay, passionate group screaming and simultaneously hard/soft instrumental dynamics. The closer "Mine de Rien" is the closest thing to Nous Étions on this EP, just a little more subdued, as the band only consists of three members.

Well, there you have it. Support this band cuz they rock. They're also solid peoples.

I used to go through all of the Deep Elm compilations because I got 20 cds for $20 a few years back and 10 of those cds were all comps. As I'm always scouring for new bands I came across a select few from those compilations that led to new branches on Dave's tree of music, but none come even close to "Red Makes White" by the enigma that was called HERCULES HERCULES. Enigma? As far as I can tell, yes. I've searched the internet for years looking for material or information about the band that was isolated from the 'Emo Diaries Vol. 10: The Hope I Hide Inside', but to no avail. So I'll discuss the song and band together as there are no other tracks available anywhere that I can find to help give further insight into the band's sound.

So, "Red Makes White" is fucking awesome. In 3:24 HERCULES HERCULES tackles dancy, sassy and semi-screamy post-rock/post-hardcore. Imagine a smoother, more fluid and melodic The Blood Brothers crossed with a subdued Since By Man and some At The Drive In...and aw heck, some Aim Of Conrad thrown in for good measure. The song bounces around with a lot of danceable energy with notable and angular tangents. One such tangent is the extended, slow ... that creeps in at 1:17 and reminds me a heck of a lot of Oceans before 2:06 when it culminates and explodes like For The Mathematics or Frodus. The song continues on its subjectively aggressive path at 2:37 with some excellent emo screams circa 1996 which blend with some nice guitar work that is unfortunately almost buried in the mix. The sheer momentum and force that are anchored with such a "light" sound is uncanny and downright commendable, hence this post.

Seriously, I really love this song. Check it out as you've most likely never heard this before and it kicks some seriously sassy ass.

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